A player’s second year is sometimes known as the sophomore slump. For the volleyball team, comprised of mostly sophomores, that has not been the case.
The Keene State College women’s volleyball team now has two starters back from injury and has been red-hot lately away from the Spaulding Gymnasium.
As of October 4, the Owls have won 21 out of their 22 sets. In addition, they have seen the return of two previously injured players, junior Sammy Dormio and sophomore Catherine Kazazian. According to Head Coach Bob Weiner, the Owls struggled because of a lack of depth. “We don’t have a lot [of depth] and we spent two weeks with two of our starters out. That just about fried us in terms of what we could do,” Weiner said. “The injury to Kazazian really threw us into a loop because she is very important to what we do,” Weiner said. Kazazian is the team’s starting Setter.
Brian Cantore / Photo Editor: Sophomore Madeleine Nossiff makes a return during a game against Emmanuel on Oct. 1 in the Spaulding Gymnasium.
Now that they are back, Weiner has more options. “I feel like I have a five-car garage. I have all these different options I can use; it’s much better,” Weiner said.
Sophomore Alexis Michal said it is very important that the Owls have everyone back because the upcoming schedule is going to get challenging. “It is really important to have all the pieces in place especially against two regionally ranked teams. It is going to help us a lot,” Michal said.
Another thing Weiner attributes to the team’s success is the team’s practices.
According to Weiner, the team likes to work on fundamentals and techniques. He said, “They want to know how to be better players.” The coaching staff has been breaking practice down to a lot more individual skill stuff, Weiner said.
However, what’s really helped the team is that they’ve finally found their identity.
“It’s not that the injuries made us start slow, it’s they needed to get a feel. They didn’t know how good they are. They are just coming to the realization that, wow, if we keep doing what [Weiner] wants us to do, we can keep growing. We could be really good,” Weiner said.
The team’s schedule this season has been a little unbalanced in terms of home versus away games.
Weiner said that is because the team is in a lot of three-year agreements with teams for a tri-match. “We would go to each one of their places and it just so happened that last year several of those were here and now none of them are,” Weiner said.
Weiner said he believes that the 14 matches away from KSC so far have not affected the team.
“I don’t think it affects us in terms of wins and losses,” Weiner said. In addition, Weiner likes the reduced distractions on the road.
“I think there are less distractions on the road. You get in a bus and you go somewhere, put on your uniform, you play, you go eat and get in the bus and go home,” Weiner said.
He added, “[At KSC] there are people and roommates and it’s different.”
Like Weiner, Michal said she believes that it doesn’t make a difference where the Owls play.
“I don’t think home court advantage affects us either way.” On the season the Owls still have more than five matches away from Keene State.
During this hot streak Weiner said that a few players have really stuck out to him, especially Nossiff.
Weiner said Nossiff has been terrific. “If you are going to be a quality team you are going to need a quality middle, and she is becoming that.”
Weiner attributed this to her attitude.
“She is a great girl, and she loves to learn and compete and everyday she comes to practice and we give her something else. She is learning how to use practice as a tool to make her better, which is a skill,” Weiner said.
Weiner added that they give her a skill to practice and all of a sudden, in the next match, you see the thing she is working on.
That kind of dedication to self-improvement has Weiner thinking Nossiff could continue to improve.
“She is going to be as good as she is now, [but] if she keeps growing she is just going to be a scary, scary player,” Weiner said.
Also, the play of Sophomore Angela Silveri has stuck out to Weiner. Weiner said he recalled what happened after the tri-match the weekend the Owls beat Eastern Connecticut State and Eastern Nazarene. Weiner received a call on his way home from Sports Information Director Stuart Kaufman about who played well for the Owls. Weiner said he hadn’t seen any statistics he had just coached. Weiner said Nossiff played well, however he thought Silveri was not herself. “I felt she wasn’t in rhythm the entire two matches.”
Kaufman pointed out Silveri had 29 kills in six sets.
“If that’s not in rhythm I’d hate to see her in rhythm. She is LEC Player of the Week, and I didn’t think she played well,” Weiner said.
Weiner said Silveri is the first player on a scouting report for Keene State.
“When you get a scouting report about Keene State what it says is stop number nine. As a sophomore to know that you’re the person that people are going to stop, she is fine with it, she just rolls,” Weiner said.
Silveri said about the scouting report, “I just don’t even think about that because if they are looking at me I don’t think about more pressure, it just makes me want to do better,” Silveri said.
The Owls have 11 matches left on the season and return home to Spaulding Gym on October 15 for an LEC match-up against Western Connecticut State.
According to Michal, the Owls are playing at an eight out of ten. “We still need to work on a few things,” Michal said.
The Owls do remain optimistic about their chances heading into the stretch run.
Silveri said, “I think we have a really good chance. We’re finally clicking and realizing our greatest potential, and we are going to strive to do our very best.”
Brian Clemmenson can be contacted at bclemmenson@keene-equinox.com